Google Places - Just DO it!

More people search for businesses online than anywhere else, so it's important to make sure your business listing can be easily found on Google.com and Google Maps. With Google Places, creating a great listing takes just a few minutes and doesn’t cost a thing.

Your Google listing is an easy way to maintain an online presence even if you don’t have a website. You can visit Google Places anytime to edit your information or see how many people have seen and clicked on your listing.

Premium options, all for free

Make your listing really shine with photos and videos; custom categories like your service area, brands you sell and how to find parking; and coupons to encourage customers to make a first-time or repeat purchase.

It's a good idea to create an Google Places account using an email address that you don't mind sharing with others or passing along, in case you wish to transfer ownership of your listings.

When you enter basic information about your business, make sure you include the following:

* Company/Organization: This is the business name known in the offline world.
* Address: Enter your address the same way it would appear on a paper mail envelope.
* Phone number: Make sure to include the area code with your business phone number.
* Website: Make sure to list your authoritative business website as your homepage, since Google uses information from your homepage to help improve search results. The URL you provide can be a maximum of 255 characters.
* Description: Tell users what makes your business special.
* Email address: Let users know how to contact you.

Categories
Categories are ways to classify your business that help Google show your business for the right searches. The Google Places will suggest categories that match what you type, but feel free to create your own if you don't see a category that fits your business. Make sure that the categories you choose are accurate and describe your business well. It's ok if they're specific; Google's search algorithm makes sure that users looking for a general business type, like 'book stores,' will see businesses in more specific categories too.

Reviews come from three main sources: reviews written by Google Maps users, reviews sent to us by third party providers and reviews collected from the web. Google associates third-party reviews with your listing when the business information given on the third-party website (like Yahoo or Trip Advisor) matches the information for your listing.

Sound simple? It is! Now, here are more detailed step-by-step instructions for how to add your business information to Google Places:

Nova Scotia social media consulants Supernova Studios helping you to get found on Google.

OK... now it's coming through in English! I have issues with Google Places. The property pin is in the wrong town. I have emailed and emailed for tech support with no luck. I finally gave up. Nice post, though. I wish I could make it work!

Maybe I can help you Ken. I had a very similar issue with Google Places and the hiccup for me was that I had entered a PO Box in addition to the street address. If you want to give me the url for your Google Place listings, I'll have a look at it for you.

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Disclaimer: Trulia, Inc. does not necessarily endorse the real estate agents, loan officers and brokers listed on this site. These real estate profiles, blogs and blog entries are provided here as a courtesy to our visitors to help them make an informed decision when buying or selling a house. Trulia, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content in these profiles, that are written by the members of this community.